Locomotive stoker



Aug; I932:

w. .T. c PPs LOCOMOTIVE STOKER Filed Aug. 9, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l 1932 I w. r. cAPPs 7 1,875,216

LDCOMOTIVE STOKER Filed Aug. 9. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 30, 1932.

w. T. CAPPS 3,875,216

LOCOMOTIVE STOKER Filed Aug. 9, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 A; .ll l m Patented Aug. 30, 1932 DFFICE WASHINGTON '1. CAPPS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND LOCOMOTIVE STOKER .Application'filed August 9, 1929. Serial No. 384,557.

the tube that less steam pressure is required 1 to distribute the fuel.

Another object of my invention is to taper the tube at the forward end to aid materially in reducing the jet pressure used to blow the coal from the distributor over the grate area, and eliminate the clogs frequently occurring in the distributor, tube and also to allow the large lumps of coal free passage in to the channels on each side in the bottom portion of the distributor.

v Another'object of my invention is to provide means to hold the distributor tube in proper position so that it will automatically line up the bottom surface of the tube as it is drawn up tight in the discharge member and'prevent it from being tilted at an an le toward the side sheet of the firebox or Ere door, thus eliminating uneven distribution of fuel.

Another object of my invention is to so securethe forward end of the distributor top and bottom to prevent enginemen, hostlers, fire-up men, and others from disengaging these parts either wilfully, or accidentally without entering the firebox.

A further object is to provide means for raising and lowering, or properly focusing the distributor mechanism, also preventing side movement at forward end.

In the drawings: v Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved stokrdistributor with associated parts in dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of my improved stoker distributor detached.

Figure. 3 is a front elevation of my im- .proved stoker distributor.

Figure 4 is a vertical section. on the line 4-4, Figure 1, the cotter pin being omitted.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the linefH5I5, Figure 2, showing the travel of the Figure 6 is a detail sectional view on the line 6-6, Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view of the forward part of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a sectional view on theline 88, Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a detail sectional view on the line 99, Figure 7 The reference numeral 5 designates the back sheets of a fire box of a locomotive in which is mounted a fire tube 6 which constitutes an aperture through which my imcharge member 7 of the stoker is provided with a boss 8 having a bolt aperture 9 in which the body shank of the bolt 10 is positioned, said-bolt being provided with a nut 11. This bolt as best seen in Figure 2 is provided with a T head 12 which will be hereinafter more fully referred to.

The distributor tube 13 is flared from its rear to its forward end so that this tube has a cross sectional area at its front end materially in excess of that at its rear end, the object of which is to materially prevent the cloggin of the tube when the wet coal is encountere or large lumps accidentally wedge in the tube. The rear portion at the bottom of the tube is thickened to prevent the abrasive action of the coal cutting it through.

The tube 13 is providedon its upper surface at'its rear end with two spaced vertically disposed lugs 14 between which is a boss 15 constituting an inclined supporting surface between the lugs. The forward ends of the lugs are each provided with a recess 16 into which the T head 12 of the bolt 10 is seated. Spaced from and in front of the cannot be distributed unevenl the bolt is drawn tightinto the discharge elbow by the nut 11. Therefore the coal to the side sheet or to the central part 0 the fire box as happens when the distributor tube is tilted or revolved, which is possible in some of the constructions used prior to my invention.

The lugs 14 provide a two point suspension for the distributor tube 13 which functioning with the T head of the bolt 10 hold member and tube being purposely spaced.

apart for allowing of vertical adjustment of the tube 13 by means of two bolts 16 hereinafter described. The distributor tube 13 is provided on its under face with two lugs 14' having bolt threaded openings into which set screws 16 are adjustably fitted, the head of the bolts 16 resting on the bottom of the firing tube or aperture 6, as shown in Figure 1, which screws respectively afford a third and a fourth point of suspension. By ad- 'justing the screws 16 the weight of the front end of'the distributor tube-is supported and stress of weight is divided between the bolt 10 and set screws 16. The tube 13 is provided near its forward end with exterior lugs 17 on its sides and a lug 18 on the top, the lug 18 being perforated to permit the passage of a cotter pin or equivalentfastening means 19. At the topand bottom on the forward end of the tube 13 I provide spacing lugs 20 to be hereinafter referred to.

The distributor top deflector plate 21 and bottom delivery plate 22 are cast or formed integral with the band 23, said band terminating in upstanding lugs 24 on the top 21 hav- 'ing cotterpin openings 25 registering, when assembled, with the opening in lug 18 on the distributor tube 13, (see Figure 4) in which position they are secured'to the lug 18 by the cotter pin 19, or other'fastening device. The reinforcing web 31 helps to $11 port the plate 21 and join it firmly with t e band 23. As'willl be seen in .Figure 4 the lugs. 20 on the end of the distributor tube 13 space the band 23 from theend portion of the tube 13 thereby providing a space between these two elements through which air may freely circulate, thereby protecting the 29 forward end of the tube 13 from injury from the high temperatures of the fire box. From the above it will be seen that it is impossible ,to;remove the deflector plate and delivery 'plate21 and 22, from tube 13, without first entering the fire box and removing the cutter pin "19., Again, it will be seen that in the event of the plates 21 and 22 becomin damaged from any cause they can be rea 'ly removed for repair or replacement by simply removing the cotter pin 19. Owing to the air space between the forward end of the tube 13 and the band 23it is seldom, if ever, that the forward end of the tube 13 is damaged. It will be seen that the entire distribu- Y tor apparatus consists of but two parts,

namely, the feed tube 13 and the distributor 7 head comprising the integral band 23 top and bottom plates 21 and 22, which is an ,im-

portant factor in that it reduces the number of parts to be carried in stock in the storehouse of the railroad. The lugs 17 on the tube 13 limit the backward movement of the head 23 on the forward end of the tube 13.

The feed tube 13 has three zones on its bottom plate 22 feeds the fuel to the forward portion of the fire box. In this connection it will be noted that there is no obstruction in the path of the flow of fuel through the tube 13 or over the bottom delivery plate 22, the bottom distributor as a whole bein set in a lower plane than the forward end 0 the tube 13, the firing surface of the delivery plate consisting of an unobstructed central portion 27 and diverging channels 26. Then it will be noted that the sunken portion 25' of the tube 13 feeds fuel to the divergent channels 26, and that the flat portion 24' in conjunction with the portion 27 of the late 22 forms a smooth sliding surface for t e fuel that is fed to the forward portions of the fire box. It will be noted that this, sunken portion starts at the rear of the tube 13, and gradually deepens as it approaches the plate 22, and thus feeds the coal into the divergent channels 26 where it slides along the curved portion, and is thus directed in a direction perpendicular to that in which it entered.

The rear portion of the floor of the tube 13 is increased in thickness and chilled, as at 30, to a degree of hardness necessary to prevent abrasion by the coal that isbeing accelerated in this vicinity by the action of the steam jet As will be seen from Figure 5, the coal in each channel and on the central flat portion is interlocked and, therefore, easily progresses in their respective streams and more readily and evenly discharges into the diverging channels of the de lverv plate and over the flat central zone of the distributor.

As will be seen the band 23 and the plates 21 and 22 are integrally cast and form a uniisc . tary distributor secured by the cotter pin 19 to the forward end of the tube at the top, and held to the forward end of the tube by its own weight. The lugs 17 are engaged by the band 23 whereby the backward movement of the distributor is limited relative to the forward end of the tube.

. What I claim is:

1. In a locomotive stoker, the combination with a fuel feed device, of a distributor tube, a pair of spaced holding members extending upwardly from the upper face of the tube and near the rear end thereof, and a connecting element between the fuel feed device and the tube engaging said holding members and detachably and pivotally connecting the tube and the fuel feed device.

2. In a locomotive stoker, the combination with a fuel feed device, of a distributor tube, a pair of spaced lugs extending upwardly from the upper face of the tube and near the rear end thereof, a suspending member encesses in the forward end walls thereof, and

a suspending member engaging the fuel feed device and lying between said lugs and having a head engaging the recesses thereof.

4. In a locomotive stoker, fuel delivery means comprising a dischargin member, provided with a lug having a bolt ole therethrough, a distributor tube designed to extend from the member through the back wall 'of a locomotive fire box, a pair of spaced lugs extending upwardly from the upper face of the tube and near its rear end, a substantially '5' headed bolt for holding the tube to the said discharging member, the head of the bolt engaging the forward ends of the said lugs while the shank of the bolt is removably disposed between said spaced lugs and in the bolt opening in the lug on the discharge member, and a nut on said bolt bearing against the lug on the discharge member.

5. In a locomotive stoker, fuel delivery means comprising a discharging member, provided with a lug having a bolt hole therethrough, a distributor tube designed to extend from the member through the back wall of a locomotive firebox, a pair of spaced lugs extending upwardly from the upper face of the tube and near its rear end,.a substantially I headed bolt for holding the tube to the said discharging member, the head ofthe bolt engaging the forward ends of the said lugs while the shank of the bolt lies between said spaced lugs and in the bolt opening in the lug on the discharge member, and a nut on said bolt bearing against the lug on the discharge member, and an upwardly extend ing lug near but spaced forward from the forward ends of said spaced lugs to limit the forward movement of the head of said bolt. l

6. In a stoker, the combination with a distributor tube, of a band detachably secured at the outlet end of said tube, and forwardly projecting distributor means extending from the top and bottom portions only of the band.

7. In a stoker, the combination with a distributor tube, of a distributor extension unit detachably secured at the outlet end of said tube and comprising a band surrounding the outlet end of the said tube, and extensions cast integrally with said band and projecting forward from the outlet end of the tube at the top and bottom portions only of said band.

8. In a stoker, the combination with a distributor tube, of a distributor top and bottom secured tothe forward end of said tube, and means spacing the tube circumferentially from said top and bottom.

9. In a locomotive stoker, a back head of a locomotive, a firing tube fastened in said back head, a stoker tube positioned in said firing tube, and means adjustable supporting a portion of the weight of said distributor tube on the firing tube.

10. In a locomotive stoker, a back head of a locomotive, a firing tube fastened in said back head, a stoker tube positioned in said firing tube, and means disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the tube for supporting a portion of the weight of said stoker tube on the firing tube, said means being adjustable to properly position the forward end of the distributor tube.

11. In a locomotive stoker, the combination with a discharge member, an aperture in the back head of a locomotive fire box, a distributor tube extending through said aperture for delivering fuel into the fire box of the locomotive, means for holding said tube to said member, and means adjustably supporting the tube intermediate its ends in said aperture.

12. In a locomotive stoker, a distributor tube having .a plurality of depressed fuel channels in its bottom face extending from the inlet end to the outlet end of the tube.

and a removable forward distributingmember ahead of the said tube, fuel channels in the bottoms of said tube and" member, the.

channels in the tube extending from end to end of said tube and registering with the channels in the said member. r y

15. In a locomotive stoker, the combination with a distributor tube, of a distributor head comprising top and bottom plates and a band integral with the rear ends of said top and bottom plates secured to the forward end of I saiddistributor tube.

16. In a locomotive stoker, the combination with a distributor tube, a lug at the forward end and on top of said tube, of a distributor top andbottom, a band integral with said top and bottom having lugs at its ends, adapted from the tube to provide an air space.

18." In a locomotive stoker the combination with a distributor tube, a lug at the forward end and on top ofsaid tube, of a distributor head comprisin top and bottom members, a

band integral with said top and bottom members and having lugs at its ends pivoted to the lug on the tube, and means to limit the rearward swinging movement the said tube.

19. In a stoker the combination with a disof the head on tributor tube, of a distributor head compris- 6 members pivotally secured at its top to. the

ing integrally connected top and bottom forward end of said tube and bearing by gravity at its base against the end of the tube,

and means limiting the backward movement of said distributor head relative to the forward end of the said tube.

20. In a locomotive stoker a fuel distributor tube having a plurality of forwardly sloping channels extending from end to end thereoffsaid channels having a gradually ining, a fuel feed device located outside-the creasing depth toward the discharge end of the tube.

21. In a locomotive stokerpa locomotive.

having a fire box provided with a firin openfire box, a distributor tube extending from the fuel feeddevice through the firing opening into the fire box, means detachably sus- V pending the distributor tube at the upper portion of its outer -endrfrioirnthe fuel feed de-- and pivotally adjusting the same on said" o5 in depth between the inlet and outlet ends of vice, so as to adapt saidtube to hav'epivotal.

motion in a vertical plane, and supporting means carried by the tube and engaging a wall of the firing opening for supporting said tube pivotal connection. '22. Ina locomotive stoker, the combination resting against the bottom wall of the firing opening and adjustablysupporting said tube on said pivotal connection. v

'23. In a locomotive stoker, a locomotive having a fire boxprovided with a firing opening, a fuel feed device arranged on the ex terior of the fire box, a distributor tube extending from said fuel feed device into the locomotive through the firing opening, means at the upper rear end of said distributor tube pivotally suspending the same from the fuel feed device, supporting means between the tube and the wall of the firing openin for adjustably supporting the tube inthe ring opening, a distributor plate at the inner end of the tube, and means detachably fastening said plate to the tube within the fire box.

24. In a locomotive stoker, a locomotive having a fire box provided with afiring opening, a fuel feed device locatedoutside the fire box, a distributor tube extending from said fuel feed device through the firing opening J into thefire box, means detachably suspending said tube at its upper end rear ends from the fuel feed device, means for adjustably supporting the tube intermediate its ends within the firing opening, and a distributor head at the inner end of the tube comprising top and bottom plates and a member uniting the same, said head being pivotally and detachably mounted at its upper portion upon the tube.

25. In a locomotive stoker,-a distributor tube having its bottom surface provided with a central longitudinally extending.

raised portion, and channels at opposite sides thereof, said channels sloping at a gradually increasing depth from the inlet end to the 26. In a locomotive stoken, a distributor outlet end of the tube.

tube flaring uniformly between its inlet and outlet ends and having its bottom provided with a central longitudinally, extending raised portion and channels at opposite sides thereof, said channels slopingon a gradually increasing pitch from the. inlet to the outlet end of the tube. v

27. In a locomotive stoker,.a distributor tube having its bottom provided witli a cenvtral longitudinally extendin raised portion and channels at opposite si es thereof, said channels sloping so as to gradually increase 2 emme end of the tube having a raised central portion located belowthe plane of the central portion of the tube bottom and provided at oppositesides of said central portion with depressions communicating with the channels of the tube and opening through the opposite sides of the distributor plate.

28. In a locomotive stoker. a distributor tube of flaring form between its inlet and outlet ends and having its bottom provided with a central longitudinally extending raised portion and channels at opposite sides thereof, said channels sloping so as to gradually increase in depth between the inlet and outlet ends of the tube and a distributor plate at the inner end of the tube having a central raised portion in longitudinal alinement with but located below the level of the central raised portion of the tube and depressions at opposite sides of said raised portion communicating with and deeper than the cham nels of the tube and opening through the opposite sides of the plate 29. In a locomotive stoker the combination with a discharge member and a distributor tube. a pair of spaced lugs extending upwardly from the upper side of the tube near the end thereof. and recessed in the forward end walls of said lugs, connecting means between said discharge memberand said distributor tube. said connecting means adapted to engage said recem 30. In a stoker, thecombination with a distributor tube. of a unitary distributor head detachably hinged at the outlet end of said tube and comprising substantially flat integrally cast top and bottom walls.

to the forward end of said tube, a central portion of the lower'wall of the tube and a central portion of the top surface of said distributor bottom being raimd, side portions of the lower wall of the tube and of the top surface of the distributor bottom be depressed to form continuous unobstruct fuel guide channels in the tube and distributor bottom, the depth of said channels with relation to said raised portions gradually and progre$ively increasing toward their forw ends.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WASGTON T. CAPPS.

31. In a locomotive stoker. a firing tube,

a discharge member. a distributor tube suspended at its top and near its rear end from the discharge member, and a pair of supporting members intermediate the ends of the distributor tube and engaging the firing tube.

32. In a stoker. the combination with a distributor tube. of a distributor head comprising integrally connected top and bottom members pivotally suspended at its top from the forward end of said tube and gravitally hearing at its base against the end of the tube.

33. In a locomotive stoker. a distributor tube. and a distributor bottom detachably secured to the forward end of said tube. the

central portion of the lower wall of the tube and of the top surface of said distributor bottom being raised. the side portions of the lower wall of the tube and of the top surface of the distributor bottom being depressed,

the raised portion extending the full length of the tube. and the height of the raised portion with relation to said side portions being greater at the forward end of the tube than at the rear end thereof.

34. In a locomotive stoker, a distributor tube, a distributor bottom detachably secured DISCLAIMER 1,875,216.Washtngt0n T. Oapps, Baltimore, Md. LOCOMOTIVE STOKER. Patent dated August 30, 1932. Disclaimer filed October 17, 1935, by the assignee, The Standard Stoker Company, Inc.

Hereby enters this disclaimer to that part of the claim in said specification which is in the following Words, to Wit:

11. In a locomotive stoker, the combination with a discharge member, an aperture in the back head of a locomotive fire box, a distributor tube extending through said aperture for delivering fuel into the fire box of the locomotive, means for holding said tube to said member, and means adjustably supporting the tube intermediate its ends in said aperture.

[Ofiicial Gazette November 5, 1.985.] 

